Compared to other German cars you've owned, does your Audi live up to it's reputation for mechanical unreliability, or is that an undeserved characterization? I've always wanted to go down that road, but have steered clear to avoid the heartache. Sort of what I've also done with the 8 series.

The S6 I have is very reliable and is probably the most reliable car I've owned given how much I drive it. Its one of the last "old school" Audis that is easy to work on that is not complicated. I have >300,000 km on it and the only major work I've done is a recent head gasket failure and I re-did the suspension a few years ago. The HG is probably to do with the 25 PSI boost I'm running, so I'm not surprised. There are the typical little things that fail, but that's common to most cars. Of course, I've done all kinds of upgrades (brakes, turbo, etc.), but it really hasn't let me down.

Its perfect for the DIYer, the I-5 20V turbo motor is bullet proof and lots of room to work in the engine bay. I'm running about 350 HP and 400 ft-lbs of torque out of a 2.2 litre, on stock internals. Not bad, except for the previously mentioned head gasket.

I worked on both the BMW and the Audi and I have to say the Audi is better built and more robust, dare I say over-engineered. It may not be fair to compare a 1997 to a 1991, but even my 1990 Audi 90 (with 300,000 km) is very robust and reliable compared to the BMW. Its in the little details that makes the difference, from the fasteners to the plastic fittings to the wiring.

I can't comment on the newer Audis vs BMW, so I guess that's another discussion.

Its perfect for the DIYer, the I-5 20V turbo motor is bullet proof and lots of room to work in the engine bay. I'm running about 350 HP and 400 ft-lbs of torque out of a 2.2 litre, on stock internals. Not bad, except for the previously mentioned head gasket.

Off topic, but this got me thinking....Is this Dave Forgie?

Back on topic...I may know who bought the RS2, but the person I suspect bought it isn't directly admitting it at this time. We'll see...

The S6 I have is very reliable and is probably the most reliable car I've owned given how much I drive it. Its one of the last "old school" Audis that is easy to work on that is not complicated. I have >300,000 km on it and the only major work I've done is a recent head gasket failure and I re-did the suspension a few years ago. The HG is probably to do with the 25 PSI boost I'm running, so I'm not surprised. There are the typical little things that fail, but that's common to most cars. Of course, I've done all kinds of upgrades (brakes, turbo, etc.), but it really hasn't let me down.

Its perfect for the DIYer, the I-5 20V turbo motor is bullet proof and lots of room to work in the engine bay. I'm running about 350 HP and 400 ft-lbs of torque out of a 2.2 litre, on stock internals. Not bad, except for the previously mentioned head gasket.

I worked on both the BMW and the Audi and I have to say the Audi is better built and more robust, dare I say over-engineered. It may not be fair to compare a 1997 to a 1991, but even my 1990 Audi 90 (with 300,000 km) is very robust and reliable compared to the BMW. Its in the little details that makes the difference, from the fasteners to the plastic fittings to the wiring.

I can't comment on the newer Audis vs BMW, so I guess that's another discussion.

That is reassuring, and surprising to me. Thanks for challenging my assumptions. I'll have to put a Coupe Quattro back on my winter wish list.